1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a leg glove, especially a leg device, such as a leg glove or leg mitten, with pockets for the hands of a lifter used when lifting a person who is jumping or being lifted, for example a jumper in a Rugby lineout. The leg glove pockets have downward diagonal facing pocket openings.
2. Description of Prior Art
There is a need to jump high in order to intercept a ball in many sports, such as Rugby, volleyball, or baseball.
For example, in Rugby Union, when a ball goes out of bounds it is returned to play using a set formation known as a lineout. In a lineout, players from both teams line up near where the ball went out of bounds. Each team forms its own line. A space of about one yard is formed between the lines of players, referred to as the tunnel. The ball is then thrown back into the playing field. The ball must be thrown straight into the middle of the tunnel. Players compete for the ball. A player has a greater likelihood of winning the ball if he is higher in the air than others. Therefore, players jump and/or are lifted up by teammates to be in a favorable position to win possession of the ball.
Other activities such as ice skating and dancing also involve lifts.
Various methods have been employed to accomplish these types of lifts and jumps.
Originally, players jumped unassisted by teammates, but the rules of Rugby Union have changed to allow teammates to support a player while in the air. At first, lifters would grab the waist of the jumper. It is currently illegal to grab on to or bind to the player while the player is on the ground. As time passed, it became common to support a jumping player by grabbing the player by the bottom of the shorts and lifting him/her by the shorts long enough to play the ball. More recently, it has been made legal to grab the jumping player by the thighs above the knee. Many jumping players wrap a combination of materials and tapes around the thigh to offer those lifting a better grip.
The use of such techniques has several disadvantages such as:                Being ineffective, as a good grip is often still difficult to maintain        Being unsafe, as jumping players that are dropped because of poor grip can fall up to 10 feet and land in an awkward position        Damage to or tearing of clothing, especially if the proper shorts are not worn        Extreme discomfort to the jumper        Taking time to apply during the critical stages of pre-match preparation        Requiring help to apply, as taping one's own leg is often difficult to do satisfactorily        Needing to be taped before every game        Requiring special skill of the lifter in the case where only one lifter is used        
It is also desirable to have a means for lifting that does not cause additional bunching and riding up of the short rugby shorts and that looks better than an awkward contraption of tapes on both thighs.
More recently, elastic sleeves with a gripping surface have also been placed around legs or knees. One example is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/255,399 (“Giacheri”). These also have several disadvantages such as:                Being constricting during the activity between lifts        Being too elastic and sliding up during lifts        Being hot, causing excessive sweating and odor        Having material break down        Being relatively heavy        Expensive materials requiring expensive equipment to manufacture        
Rugby shorts have been modified to have baggy grasping material. For example, French patent application publication 2,754,679 A (“Rous”), filed Oct. 22, 1996, 24, attempts to improve the lineout lift by adding baggy or puffy grasping material to the front of regulation non-stretch cotton fabric shorts. Rous discloses three embodiments: 1) a baggy pouch sewn on all sides; 2) puffy shapes, cut into the fabric, which extends out like riding breeches; and 3) a false skirt canopy, sewn vertically into both side seams and held open with a strap which has each end sewn to the fabric of the shorts leg. These have similar disadvantages such as:                Being too loose and sliding up during lifts        Sliding up to the groin during the lift, rather than remaining on the lower thigh        Not being removable, separate from the shorts, for use by other players during the same game        
There is a need for a means to improve lifting in all levels of play, as ineffective lifts can be costly, dangerous, and contribute significantly to losing a game.
What is needed is an improved lightweight, low cost, easy to manufacture, quick, simple, easy to use, reusable leg glove that provides an effective means of obtaining a sure grip that offers comfort and safety to the players involved.